10 Highly Desirable Modern Day Collector's Cars

New cars are lousy investments. The moment you drive off the dealership's lot—bang—your vehicle's value drops $2000, $3000—or even $10,000 for the most expensive cars. But is that really the case for every car built within the last 25 years? No way. We found great cars that have solidly maintained their worth, and a few modern cars that have actually become more valuable.

1987 Buick GNX

1987 Buick GNX

Believe it or not, one of the hottest collector cars of the 1980s is a Buick. The GNX was, at its core, a Regal Grand National coupe with one mean engine. Because the regular production Grand National was both fast and popular, Buick decided to build an even more potent version and limit production to just 547. A hotter turbo, new intercooler and other tweaks brought the horsepower up to 276 and torque to 380 lb-ft.

The GNX was supercar-quick by the standards of the '80s, hitting 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. And though the cars cost a whopping $29,290 back then, speculators accurately predicted their values would rise and squirreled them away. Today, according to National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) guides, the GNX is worth at least $47,800 and up to $88,400 if it's in great condition. We've seen some extremely low-mileage examples offered on eBay for around $100,000.

2005–2006 Ford GT

2005–2006 Ford GT

In the 1960s, few believed that America had the hardware to compete in the famed 24 hours Le Mans auto race. This was Ferrari territory. But Ford buried that notion when it took the top three spots in the 1966 race with its GT-40 race car. And a legend was born.

The road versions of the classic GT-40 are exceedingly rare and worth a half-million today. But in 2004, to celebrate Ford's 100th birthday, the company released a modern version: the $150,000 550-hp Ford GT, of which Ford made just more than 4000. The modern GT was ridiculously quick, stomping past 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. It was an instant classic, and some of the earliest cars commanded an extra $100,000 over sticker price. Today, NADA says the low value for a Ford GT is $151,245. But ones in excellent shape command upward of $172,000. Somehow, that still seems like a bargain compared to today's supercars.